TicketsCINCINNATI - Positive momentum for the University of Cincinnati men's basketball program continues to build on several fronts as the 2018-19 academic year begins this week in Clifton.
You can physically see it here in the landscape of campus.
Like the excitement around the latest happenings at Fifth Third Arena as its $87-million renovation winds to completion for the Bearcats opener against in-state rival Ohio State on Nov. 7. More than 500 season tickets were sold on the first day of sales Monday, bringing the number of total season tickets purchased to nearly 7,500. That makes the arena's all-time record of 7,707 season tickets, set prior to the 1999-2000 campaign, well within reach.
And you can find that same momentum on the court. Because nothing tells you that you're on the right track like winning championships.
The Bearcats did just that one year ago, claiming both the American Athletic Conference regular-season and tournament championships en route to finishing 31-5 overall, tying the school record for wins in a season and advancing to their eighth consecutive NCAA tournament. On the way to recording the program's first back-to-back 30-win seasons, UC held the nation's attention with an Associated Press Top 25 ranking every week, climbing as high as fifth.
But UC men's basketball also continues to gain ground in another venue: the classroom.
When Gary Clark, Kyle Washington and Jackson Bart earned diplomas upon the close of the 2017-18 academic year, it advanced another Bearcats' trend – graduating seniors.
In all, 21 of 24 UC men's basketball seniors have graduated since the 2011-12 academic year, including 12 straight.
"We look at the development of our players and their graduation as the most important things we do," UC head coach Mick Cronin said. "We also have great academic support and have created a tradition of academic achievement and graduation by design."
"I'm extremely proud of our numbers but more so of the people in our program and their maturity," Cronin said.
Several of those graduating seniors during Cronin's 12-year tenure coupled academic success with on-court excellence and a professional career. Among them Troy Caupain, who recently signed with the Orlando Magic; 2014 All-American and recent Chicago Bulls guard Sean Kilpatrick; and Clark, who was named the 2018 AAC Player of the Year and now plays for the Houston Rockets.
"Earning my degree goes up there on the same level as winning some of those individual honors and what we were able to accomplish as a team last season," said Clark, who was the first person from his family to earn a college degree. "College is so different from high school and middle school because you're going to classes and studying subjects with different people in every class. Being able to earn my degree felt more like my own doing, an individual achievement."
And the streak of cap-and-gown wearing Bearcat seniors looks to continue with current guards Cane Broome and Justin Jenifer, who remain on schedule to graduate following the 2019 spring semester.
Redshirt-junior Trevon Scott will actually beat the guard duo to the punch. The forward, who was named to The American's All-Academic Team this summer after earning UC academic honor roll and dean's list accolades, looks to earn his undergraduate degree in interdisciplinary studies in December then begin work on a Master's Degree. He will receive the Legion of Excellence Award for outstanding academic performance at the annual awards gala in late September.
"I think about graduation every day," Scott said. "It's a great feeling knowing all the hard work you put in on the court and in the classroom is paying off. It's something I want to show my sisters that you can do whatever you put your mind to."
The door also remains open for former Bearcats still looking to complete their undergraduate degrees. Cronin, along with Dr. Joe Luckey, who leads Student-Athlete Support Services, the academics arm of the UC Department of Athletics, are encouraging former players to come back to campus to finish up their remaining class schedule.
Among them is current UC student assistant coach and seven-year NBA player DerMarr Johnson, who played one season at Cincinnati before the Atlanta Hawks selected him as the sixth pick in the 2000 NBA draft. Johnson returned to campus during the 2016-17 season to begin work toward his degree in interdisciplinary studies while helping the staff. He looks to accomplish that as well as pick up a minor in criminal justice following the 2019 spring semester.
"I've talked to a few of the other former players who are maybe a few classes short of earning their degrees," Johnson said. "And I tell them that being back at our school and working with the players and coaches has been great. I've had the opportunity to learn more about coaching and I have a better understanding now of how much the city of Cincinnati loves its players. I realize that more now than when I played here."
You can physically see it here in the landscape of campus.
Like the excitement around the latest happenings at Fifth Third Arena as its $87-million renovation winds to completion for the Bearcats opener against in-state rival Ohio State on Nov. 7. More than 500 season tickets were sold on the first day of sales Monday, bringing the number of total season tickets purchased to nearly 7,500. That makes the arena's all-time record of 7,707 season tickets, set prior to the 1999-2000 campaign, well within reach.
And you can find that same momentum on the court. Because nothing tells you that you're on the right track like winning championships.
The Bearcats did just that one year ago, claiming both the American Athletic Conference regular-season and tournament championships en route to finishing 31-5 overall, tying the school record for wins in a season and advancing to their eighth consecutive NCAA tournament. On the way to recording the program's first back-to-back 30-win seasons, UC held the nation's attention with an Associated Press Top 25 ranking every week, climbing as high as fifth.
But UC men's basketball also continues to gain ground in another venue: the classroom.
When Gary Clark, Kyle Washington and Jackson Bart earned diplomas upon the close of the 2017-18 academic year, it advanced another Bearcats' trend – graduating seniors.
In all, 21 of 24 UC men's basketball seniors have graduated since the 2011-12 academic year, including 12 straight.
"We look at the development of our players and their graduation as the most important things we do," UC head coach Mick Cronin said. "We also have great academic support and have created a tradition of academic achievement and graduation by design."
"I'm extremely proud of our numbers but more so of the people in our program and their maturity," Cronin said.
Several of those graduating seniors during Cronin's 12-year tenure coupled academic success with on-court excellence and a professional career. Among them Troy Caupain, who recently signed with the Orlando Magic; 2014 All-American and recent Chicago Bulls guard Sean Kilpatrick; and Clark, who was named the 2018 AAC Player of the Year and now plays for the Houston Rockets.
"Earning my degree goes up there on the same level as winning some of those individual honors and what we were able to accomplish as a team last season," said Clark, who was the first person from his family to earn a college degree. "College is so different from high school and middle school because you're going to classes and studying subjects with different people in every class. Being able to earn my degree felt more like my own doing, an individual achievement."
And the streak of cap-and-gown wearing Bearcat seniors looks to continue with current guards Cane Broome and Justin Jenifer, who remain on schedule to graduate following the 2019 spring semester.
Redshirt-junior Trevon Scott will actually beat the guard duo to the punch. The forward, who was named to The American's All-Academic Team this summer after earning UC academic honor roll and dean's list accolades, looks to earn his undergraduate degree in interdisciplinary studies in December then begin work on a Master's Degree. He will receive the Legion of Excellence Award for outstanding academic performance at the annual awards gala in late September.
"I think about graduation every day," Scott said. "It's a great feeling knowing all the hard work you put in on the court and in the classroom is paying off. It's something I want to show my sisters that you can do whatever you put your mind to."
The door also remains open for former Bearcats still looking to complete their undergraduate degrees. Cronin, along with Dr. Joe Luckey, who leads Student-Athlete Support Services, the academics arm of the UC Department of Athletics, are encouraging former players to come back to campus to finish up their remaining class schedule.
Among them is current UC student assistant coach and seven-year NBA player DerMarr Johnson, who played one season at Cincinnati before the Atlanta Hawks selected him as the sixth pick in the 2000 NBA draft. Johnson returned to campus during the 2016-17 season to begin work toward his degree in interdisciplinary studies while helping the staff. He looks to accomplish that as well as pick up a minor in criminal justice following the 2019 spring semester.
"I've talked to a few of the other former players who are maybe a few classes short of earning their degrees," Johnson said. "And I tell them that being back at our school and working with the players and coaches has been great. I've had the opportunity to learn more about coaching and I have a better understanding now of how much the city of Cincinnati loves its players. I realize that more now than when I played here."